Apparatus for handling belt and arm



March 24, 1959 G. M. DYE ETAL 2,878,924

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BELT AND ARM Filed June 21, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TORS 6: EN Mlhz 525R: K. Na: ER

March 1959 G. M. DYE ETAL 2,87

- APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BELT AND ARM Filed June 21, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

55 g Q 3541: 38 /8f F. M i H w 30 f 211 midi, I g i W /8c/ mm FIG. 5

IN VEN TORS 1 E/YM Drz (LAKE K/V/LLER 3r JZMAW United States Patent 2,878,924 APPARATUS FOR HAND NG BELTANP Glen M. Dye and Clare -K. Miller, Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to Palm Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Application June 21, 1956, SerialNogSMMl B 7 Claims. (Cl. 1989185 This invention relates to a machine having a belt to which an arm is detachably secured. 'Wfhiie the invention may have application to various types of machines, one application of the invention is to a machine for treating a photographic strip, such as a film or print. One embodiment of the invention is shown in such a machine as disclosed in the application of Glen M. Dye, Christian 0. Knudsen and John F. Braden, S,N. 150,508, filed March 18, 1950, now Patent No. 2,770,179.

In the machine of this invention a substantially flat belt made of flexible resilient material is used to which arms are detachably connected. Said arms have connected thereto photographic strips which are moved through a plurality of receptacles for desired treatment. Said arms are manually attached to said belt and are mechanically released fromsaid belt.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved structure of said arm and the means for attaching the same to said belt and for releasing the same from said belt.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a comparatively flat movable belt made of flexible resilient material and an arm having a portion extending across one side of said belt, said portion having lugs at opposite sides thereof engaged by the edge portions of said belt, the distance between the surfaces of said lugs engaged by said belt being slightly less than the width of said belt whereby said arm is frictionally held on said belt by the tendency of said belt to resume its fiat condition.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, together with means for depressing the central portion of said belt to withdraw the edge portions thereof from said lugs so that said arm will be released from said belt.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an arm constructed and arranged to be readily attached and detached from a movable fiat belt made of flexible resilient material, said arm having a portion adapted to extend across one side of said belt, said portion having lugs at opposite sides thereof between which said belt is disposed, the distance between the surfaces of said lugs engaged by said belt being slightly less than the width of said belt whereby said arm is frictionally carried by and secured to said belt by the tendency of said belt to resume its flat shape.

It is another object of the invention to provide a movable fiat belt made of flexible resilient. material and an arm having a portion constructed and arranged to be attached to said belt and frictionally secured to said belt by the tendency of said belt to resume its flat shape when laterally contracted.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a novel method of attaching an arm to a belt and for releasing said arm from said belt.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through such a machine as disclosed in the above entitled application, said view showing the rear or discharge end of said machine;

Fig.2 is a perspective view of one end of said machine shown in Fig. l, the same being shown on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3.-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of an arm used which is adapted to be attached to said belt; and

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section taken on line of Fig. 5, as indicated by the arrows.

Referringto the drawings, a machine is shown having a frame portion 10. A plurality of rollers 11 are carried on shafts 12 journaled in frame 10. A belt 14 is provided which runs over the tops of the rollers 11 and over similar rollers adjacent the bottom of frame 10 so that said belt 14 travels in a circuitous path. Frame 10 is constructed to receive and support a plurality of receptacles 16 which contain the desired fluids for treating photographic films or prints. Belt 14 is made of flexible resilient material and while various materials could be used, in practice a belt made of plastic has been found satisfactory. Arms, such as arm 18 shown in Fig. 2, are attached to belt 14 so as to be carried with said belt, the strips 19 to be treated being secured to arms 18. While the strips 19 could be secured in various ways, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated said strips are passed through slots 18a in arm 18 and folded against said arm, as shown in Fig. 2.

An auxiliary frame 20 is provided and secured to frame 10 by bolts or rivets 21 passing through a bracket 22. Spaced portions 20a are secured to bracket 22 and extend rearwardly therefrom. Additional portions 20b are secured to portions 20a by the bolts 24 and extend rearwardly in parallel relation, as shown in Fig. 2.

Belt 14 passes downwardly from rear pulley 11 and runs under a pulley 15 carried on a shaft 17 journaled in frame 10. A pulley 26 is carried on a shaft 27 journaled in members 20b and belt 14 runs over pulley 26. Another pulley 30 is carried on a headed shaft 31 carried in members 20b. Belt 14 runs over pulley 30 which is a flanged pulley, and then extends forwardly and runs over a pulley 33 carried on a shaft 34 journaled in frame 10. Belt 14 extends downwardly and runs over certain pulleys, not shown, back to the front of the machine, belt 14 being an endless belt.

Arm 18 has a portion 18b shaped as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and this portion in use is disposed on and extends across the top of belt 14. The portion 18c which carries the film is connected to portion 18b in any suitable manner, as by spot welding, at spaced points, such as the points 18d. Portion has a slot 1801, extending longitudinally therein through which the strip carried by the arm is disposed. The arm portion 180 passes through a slot 182 in portion 18b and is reversely bent at its end toward belt 14, as shown in Fig. 6. The end of arm 180 thus forms a lug 18g forming a channel 18 Members 35 are provided, the same being in the form of short strips which are spot welded to portion 18b at the same side as the arm 18c. Said members 35 pass through slots 18k formed in portion 18b and are reversely bent inwardly at their ends to form lugs 35b having therein channels 35a. When the arm 18 is attached to belt 14 said belt is disposed in the channels 18 and 35a in the lugs 18g and 35b respectively formed by the bent ends of members 18c and 35. The distance between the surfaces of said on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

lugs engaged by belt 14 is slightly less than the width of said belt 14.

A member 38 is provided formed of similar plates 38a. At one end the plates 38a are bent away from each other substantially at a right angle, as shown in Fig. 2, and then'are again bent substantially at right angles and secured to the frame members 20b by screws 40. Member 38 extends forwardly above belt 14 and is of tapered form. The smaller end thereof extends forwardly substantially to the top of pulley 26. The lower side of member 38 extends downwardly from pulley 26 so that as belt14 moves toward pulley 30 the central portion thereof is depressed, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The belt is depressed sufiiciently to withdraw the edge portions thereof from the lugs 18g and 35b and the member 18 is thus released.

In operation, the belt'14 is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. As the belt moves along, the operator holds the arm 18 in one hand and with the other hand engage the edges of belt 14 and move the same together, thus flexing the belt and reducing its width. The portion 18b is then placed against the belt and the belt released so as the belt tends to assume its flat form, the edges thereof move into the channels 35a and 18 respectively. As the surfaces of lugs 35b and 18g engaged by the sides of the belt are spaced a distance slightly less than the width of the belt, the belt is firmly and frictionally gripped in said lugs and the member 18 thus securely attached to the belt 14. The arms 18 are carried along the belt through the various receptacles 16 and finally pass over pulley 26. As the arms 18 move past pulley 26 the smaller end of member 38 is disposed under the portion 18b and the central portion of the belt 14 is depressed as above stated and as shown in Fig. 3, and the edge portions of the belt are withdrawn from the lugs 35b and 18g so that the arm 18 is released from the belt and will either drop therefrom or be taken hold of by an operator.

From the above description it will be seen that we have provided a novel, improved and very efiicient structure by means of which the arms 18 can be attached to belt 14 and by which said arms can be released. The structure is a great improvement over that shown in the above entitled application. With the present structure there is no tendency to tear belt 14 nor to wear the same excessively. The arms 18 and portions 18b can be very quickly and easily attached to belt 14. As described, the arms are mechanically released as belt 14 progresses.

The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice, found to be very successful and eflicient and the same is being commercially made. 7

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the device and in the steps and sequence of steps of the method without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a method and apparatus capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, such as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine of the class described having in combination, a flat endless belt of flexible resilient material, an arm for supporting a member having a flat portion extending across one side of said belt, said portion having transversely spaced thereon lugs of very short length, said lugs being reversely bent so as to form channels with their open sides facing each other for receiving the edge portions of said belt, the distance between the surfaces of opposite of said lugs engaged by said belt being less than the width of said belt so that said belt can be flexed to reduce its width and then be placed between said lugs and will be frictionally held between opposite of the channels of said lugs in assuming substantially its normally flat position.

2. A machine of the class described having in combination, a frame, a flat belt of flexible material, an endless pulley over which said belt runs, a second pulley over which said belt runs spaced from said first mentioned pulley, an arm carried by said belt having a portion extending across one side of said belt and having lugs forming channels adjacent each side of said portion in which the edge portions of said belt are disposed, the distance between the surfaces of said lugs engaged by said belt being slightly less than the width of said belt so that saidarm is held on saidbelt by friction due to the tendency of said belt to resume its flat shape, a wedge-shaped member carried by said frame disposed over said belt and having one end positioned close to the surface of said belt adjacent said first mentioned pulley, one 'edge of said member extending towards and engaging the central portion of said belt to move the central portion of said belt out of its normal plane between said pulleys as said belt travels so that the edge portions of said belt are withdrawn from said lugs and said arm released.

3. A machine of the class described having in combination, a movable flat endless -belt made of flexible material, an arm carried on and movable with saidbelt and having lugs extending around the edge portions of said belt, the distance between the surfaces of said first mentioned portions engaged by said belt being slightly less than the width of said belt so that said belt is frictionally held in said portions by its tendency to resume its flat shape, and means engaged by' said belt as it moves for moving the central part of said belt out of its normal plane for withdrawing the edge portions of said belt from said first mentioned portions extending around the same to free saidarm.

4. A machine of the class described having in combination, a frame, a flat endless belt of flexible material,'-a pulley over which said belt runs, a second pulley over which said belt runs spaced from said first mentioned pulley, an arm carried by said belt having a portion extending across one side of said belt and having lugs at each'side of said portion in which the edge portions of said belt are disposed, the distance between the surfaces of said lugs engaged by said belt being slightly less than the width of said belt so that said arm is held on said belt by friction due to the tendency of said belt to resume its flat shape, a member carried by said frame disposed adjacent the central portion of said belt between said pulleys, said member being disposed to move the central portion of said belt out of the normal plane thereof so that the edge portions of said belt are moved toward each other and withdrawn from said lugs and said arm is thus released.

5. A machine of the class described having in combination, an endless movable belt of flexible resilient material, a member adapted to be attached to said belt having transversely spaced lugs of small length between which the longitudinal edge portions of said belt may be disposed, the facing surfaces of said lugs engaged by said belt being less than the width of said belt apart whereby said member is held on said belt frictionally by the tendency of said belt to return to its flat normal condition, and means for flexing said belt transversely as it moves to withdraw its edge portions from said lugs for releasing said arm. I

6. A machine of the class described having in combination, a flat endless belt of resilient flexible material, an arm having a substantially flat portion extending across oneside of said belt and carrying transversely spaced lugs thereon, said lugs being of short length and being raised somewhat above the adjacent surface of said flat portion and forming respectively channels of very small depth in which the opposite edge portions of said belt are engaged, the distance between the facing surfaces of said lugs engaged by said belt being less than the width of said belt whereby the opposite edge portions of said belt are frictionally held and said belt may be flexed transversely for easy withdrawal of its edgeportions from said lugs or transversely of said belt, said lugs having short wall por- 10 tions upstanding from said surface and upwardly inclined terminal portions of small length, said terminal portions being raised somewhat above the adjacent surface of said fiat portion to respectively form channels with said adjacent surface to engage and extend toward each other over 15 the adjacent edge portions of said belt, wall portions of said lugs being spaced apart transversely of said belt a distance somewhat less than the width of said belt whereby said belt when its edge portions are engaged by said wall portions is somewhat transversely flexed to be frictionally held therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 820,710 Ford May 15, 1906 1,728,281 Bangs Sept. 27, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 206,969 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1939 

